


Ignis et Venenum

by In_Saecula_Saeculorum



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), The Arcana Chronicles - Kresley Cole
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Enemies to Allies To Lovers, F/M, Force Bond, Post-Apocalypse, Slow Updates, Tarot, everyone has a role to play
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-02-09 21:54:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12897627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/In_Saecula_Saeculorum/pseuds/In_Saecula_Saeculorum
Summary: After an event that decimates the galaxy, a ceasefire is declared between the First Order and the Resistance. Pushed together by chance, Rey and Kylo are about to learn that they are key players in a game that will determine the course of the next several thousand years.Arcana Chronicles-based AU





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! After months of debating with myself, I finally decided to write this odd au that I came up with. This is actually my first time writing fanfiction, a majority of my writing before this has been poetry. So changing styles has been a difficulty for me. If anything, I'd be happy to see improvement as this fic goes along. Without further ado, on to the Star Wars Arcana universe!

_There was no way that anyone could have anticipated The Razing. In a galaxy so vast, of course there would be disasters commonly popping up on some planet or other, but such widespread death and destruction? It hadn’t even been thought possible._

_Yet fate had proven itself to be fickle, and throughout systems, a light swept across the skies. Those unfortunate enough to be caught in its path suffered greatly. They were found in huddled positions, eyes melted from their skulls, searing blisters and charred burns covering their skin, it took several days for the mass cremations to be held, in order to prevent the potential spread of disease._

_Some said that The Razing had been caused by the force itself. A way of cleansing the galaxy to start anew. The less spiritual argued that it was a gamma burst from a distant galaxy. Others still, saw no point in speculation, it would not return things to the way they were_

_From the core planets to the outer rim, organized society began to break down. Those who were voluntarily members of groups such as The First Order or Resistance were ironically, probably the most safe. Warfare came to a halt, as both groups started to realize that continued fighting would mean their deaths._

 

* * *

 

“No. There is no way that you can be going through with this.”

“I am afraid that we may have no other choice.”

“No other choice? NO OTHER CHOICE? How is this the only choice that we have!”

Poe appeared to be ready to explode

“We have fought The First Order for years, and now suddenly we’re just going to turn around and sign some sort of treaty with them?”

Leia sighed, she had anticipated this reaction, and in all honesty, she was not completely sure of her own feelings on the situation. But, a majority of The Resistance leadership had decided that this was the best course of action.

“We are not signing a treaty with them, we’re asking for an informal ceasefire. I am not any more happy about this than you, Poe, but to continue this fight in the galaxy’s current state would only lead to unnecessary death for both sides.”  
Poe was still fuming, but knew that at this point, there was not much he could do to change what would happen. He decided to leave the briefing before he could say something he would potentially regret later.

Leia looked at the rest of the gathered group with frustration.

“Let’s end this discussion here for now, we can not afford rash behavior. We can finish later, once we have all gotten some rest. Remember to keep track of your patrol times.”

After a round of solemn nods, the gathered slowly began to file out. Leia waited until the last of them had left before allowing herself to lose her composure.

The galaxy had, for better or for worse, existed under some sort of organized government for thousands of years. It didn’t seem real, that such order could be gone within a day, incinerated with the other victims of The Razing. Only a minimal amount of their tech was still working, as many of it had been fried.

Many areas of the base had to be put into lockdown as the machines within began to go up in flames and sparks. Leaving many unfortunate beings trapped behind the sealed doors.

The one reassuring thing to have happened in the past days, is that they had been able to give those people a decent funeral.  
From what they could discern from the limited communication, most were not that lucky. Stories reached them that turned the stomachs of even their most hardened members. Stories of charred remains rotting in the streets, of the crazed beings that wandered the ruins, looking for victims to cannibalize once their supplies had run out.

In a twisted, Ironic way, the Resistance and First Order were now probably the safest places in the galaxy.

Which is why a ceasefire had been deemed to be so vital. It was meant to ensure survival, more than anything else.

She looked over to the lights on her communication device. A majority of the First Orders leaders would likely not be willing to hear even a word of their attempts at diplomacy. But maybe, there was one person who would listen…

Tightness formed in her chest, as the pain she felt the moment of Han’s death played in her mind. That moment would be forever burned into her mind.

But… she had also felt sorrow, a desire to forgive. A desire that she desperatly shared.

The majority of the first order would not listen to her, yes.

But maybe her son would.

 

* * *

 

Rey had no way to tell what had happened, but she felt that it was awful.

It had all happened so quickly. After landing on Ahch-To, she had believed that she knew how things were going to go. She could not have been further from the truth.

Luke, the man she looked up to, mythologized even, had simply brushed her off. Refusing any attempt she made to try and convince him to return to the resistance. She had been lucky to convince him to train her. Even so, she had the overwhelming feeling that she was not wanted here.

Then, during a training session only a few days ago, everything changed. She had keeled over, as she was suddenly filled with the fear and pain of billions. She could hear her heart pounding, and a horrid, searing pain crept across her. It felt like hours before the pain went away. But when she was able to collect herself and focus her vision, the sun had barely moved in the sky.

Luke had been standing over to the side, and based on the fact that he had also fallen, he must have experienced it too.

“What was that?” Her throat was raw, and the words struggled to form in her mouth.

“I don’t know.” Luke said softly, his own voice equally as raspy. “I’ve never felt a disturbance so strong…

“We need to get back to the Resistance!” Rey had finally met people whom she could consider a family. She was not about to lose them because a grumpy old man did not want to leave his island.

Luke’s expression turned defeated “I don’t know what will await us if we do.”

“That doesn’t mean we can just abandon everyone! What about your sister? She may need your help!”

“Leia is more than capable of handling herself.”

“But she’s still your family! You should still be there for her! Do you seriously take having people that care for you for granted?”

At that, his expression changed to a sadder one.

“I am not sure if I can be forgiven.”

“Leia wants you home desperately. The only person who has not forgiven you, is yourself.”

Luke appeared to contemplate her words for a moment before nodding

“If we are to return… It is best that we do so now, before the inevitable chaos has time to worsen.”

She understood, a feeling in her gut told her that they would be returning to something unrecognizable.

 

* * *

 

The First Order base had been in almost complete lockdown since the day of The Razing. It had been decided that they should try to pick themselves up, and continue as normal until things began to calm down. But it was becoming increasingly clear that things would not be calming down anytime soon.

Shortly after the destruction of Starkiller base, the survivors had been brought to a former imperial base of Snoke’s choosing, at the edge of the galaxy, dug into the ground of the planet. Presumingly so they could recover without disturbance.

Kylo felt that Snoke had another reason for choosing this location, but did not ask questions, he knew what would happen if he did.

He had been scheduled to leave and continue his brutal training on the day of The Razing. He had been brought to his knees in his quarters, feeling as though he had been engulfed in flames, a bright light appeared in his vision, one that he could not get away from, no matter how tightly he shut his eyes, or tried to avert himself

After what had felt like hours of agony, he was able to pull himself up and stumble from his quarters.  
He was greeted by absolute chaos.

Alarms were blaring from all directions, and personnel were running in all directions through the corridors in a frenzy.

When he reached the control room, he was greeted by a clearly angry General Hux.

“So, the Master of Ren finally decides to grace us with his presence. You should have been here at least twenty minutes ago!”

“My time of arrival is not yours to decide, General. Now, would you like to give me an account of what has just happened?”

“We cannot be sure, Sir.” Phasma approached from the side

“It seems as though a sort of solar flare hit the planet, however, much more tech has been destroyed then what would be expected in this case, being that we are underground. But most of it is now offline. Furthermore, any personnel who were outside when we were hit, have either been killed, or have suffered severe burns. Atypical for such a phenomena.”

“And how are things to proceed from here? Have you contacted the Supreme Leader?”

“We have tried Sir. Our communication is working well enough, it seems he is simply not answering.

Hux then decided to speak up “We should attempt to get things sorted as much as we can on our own. And try reaching out to the rest of the Order.”

“Agreed.” Kylo then turned to Phasma

“Your men will be vital to the recovery process.”

“I’ve already divided them into groups in order to cover the work done by deceased personnel.”

Kylo nodded “How quickly we become functional once more is their responsibility.”

 

From there on, things had fallen into routine. After a few days, they had been able to contact another base in the Mid Rim, only to discover that the destruction had not been limited to their planet.

A similar event, that had been named “The Razing” had happened on planets all across the galaxy. Most of the First Order was evacuating to unaffected planets.

They would not be among the evacuees. There was no point in leaving a planet with few other inhabitants.

As he went about his day, Kylo felt a presence in his head. The Scavenger girl, Rey. They had inadvertently become bonded when he had attempted to interrogate her. Her presence had come and gone since. Never actively attempting to read him, simply, there.  
Since The Razing, her presence has seemed to take up a more permanent residence there.

He hated that she had been able to best him on Starkiller base. But yet, in a way, he couldn’t help but feel some sort of admiration, that an untrained individual had been been able to hold her own against him.

He had an almost instinctual feeling that it was best for him to get used to her being there. As it seemed at in some way or another, their fates were going to end up linked to one another’s.


	2. Chapter 2

For the resistance, having to stay guarded was nothing new. One moment of vulnerability was a window for attack. But, having to fight against the people you thought you were fighting for? That was something else entirely. 

 

They had been hailed by a ship claiming to be refugee’s, who were currently unable to return to their home planet, and had asked for shelter at the resistance base. 

 

But when the shuttles came down and opened, those who came to assist were met with something out of nightmares. 

 

The creatures were called bloodstalkers, or simply “stalkers”, as some had taken to calling them. They had once been beings from various species. But, The Razing had driven them mad, and they now were mindless hunter’s. And above all, they craved blood, and the flesh of other sentients. 

 

Although the resistance was able to fight off the stalkers, several fighters were killed. As several of the stalkers managed to escape, those who followed them to make sure they did not plan to return were met with a horrid sight that some would describe as “conjured from the most twisted of nightmares” 

 

The hull of their main ship was decorated with the bodies of the victims they chose not to eat. The vacuum of space keeping the corpses frozen in time, as if they had only just died. 

 

The bodies were manipulated into poses, like a sort of depraved artwork.

 

The most disturbing of all was that of a human man, the skin cut from his back. Spread to look like wings.

 

It was then decided that only ships who’s pilots could be identified would be allowed to enter the base. 

 

“Sir, we’ve got a ship incoming.”

 

The commander stiffened “Hail them, and let me know if we need to get defenses ready. “

“Yes Sir”

* * *

 

Rey felt that something was wrong the moment that she entered D’Qar’s atmosphere. It didn’t feel the same as it had when she left. It now felt as if the planet itself was on guard. 

She needed to figure out what had happened. 

 

Suddenly, the ship recieved a message;

 

“You are approaching on a private, populated area, An identification must be given before entry is permitted” 

 

She sent through the Falcon’s ID, tensing slightly, hoping that everything would be explained soon. 

 

Luke entered the cockpit once they were landed

“I will stay here for now, you may want to talk to Leia before I speak to her and the others.”

Rey wanted to protest, but knew that it would not get her anywhere, so she nodded as she left.

 

Leia was there waiting when she left the Falcon.

 

“It’s so wonderful to have you back, I just wish that it was under better circumstances.”

“What happened? Everything feels wrong, but I don’t know why.” 

 

“Come, this is not something that I can explain in a short time”

 

Moments later, she was sitting in a private meeting room, with Leia explaining The Razing to her.

 

None of this made sense. Planets had been decimated by flare’s before. And Many more populated planets had technology to protect from energy bursts outside the galaxy, as such events were not totally unheard of. 

 

How could such widespread devastation have occured? 

 

Although she supposed that the “hows” of everything wouldn’t exactly help so many people rebuild. 

 

“When I got to Ahch-To, I did find Luke there. He didn’t want to come back, I barely convinced him to train me. I was in the middle of practicing with the lightsaber when suddenly, I felt intense pain.”

 

“ I felt the pain too. At first I thought that the First Order had developed another superweapon. Only to find out that something much worse had happened” 

 

“After that, I decided I had to get back. Luke came with me…”

 

Leia nodded “I sensed that he was here, but I knew that you would be confused and wanted to speak with you first.”

 

“Thank you”

 

“ I guess it’s best that I go speak to my brother now. Maybe knock some sense into him. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to.” 

She smiled. Rey was glad to see her so happy. 

 

“I’ll be going to talk to the others. Please let me know if Luke says anything you think I need to know.”

 

“Don’t worry, I will”

 

* * *

  
  
  


Leia took a deep breath, steadying herself before walking up into the Falcon.

When she and Luke’s eyes met each others, they immediately went to embrace one another. If Leia could, she would freeze time in this moment, so she would not have to be apart from her brother again. 

 

“Luke…” she whispered, stepping back slowly. After having been separated for so long she felt like this could not be real. He couldn’t actually be standing in front of her right now. 

 

“Leia… I’m so sorry”’

 

His voice was shaking, and steeped in guilt. 

 

“You don’t have to be.”

 

“ I failed Ben.. caused so much pain.”

 

“No, Ben went dark because of Snoke, not because of you.” 

 

“I didn’t try hard enough to stop him....”

 

“You did the best that you could.”

 

“My best was not enough.”

 

Luke cast his eyes downward “I felt Han die..”

 

Leia only nodded, the words for what she wanted to say evading her. 

 

“It was not something that we could stop. We can only look forward now. Hopefully, the future can be better.”

“We have no way of knowing what is going to happen.”

 

“No, we don’t, but that does not mean that we should just sit back and give up.”

 

Luke smiled “And to think that I used to be the optimistic one.”

 

“We’ve always kept one another in check.”

* * *

 

Sitting back in her room, Rey tried to keep her thoughts from going into dark places. She failed. 

There was another, more selfish reason, why she had decided to stay back, away from Luke and Leia for now. 

 

It hurt too much, knowing that she did not have family out there, missing her. 

 

From her pocket, she pulled out the one thing that she did have from her family.

 

A card. So old that it was made from actual paper. It depicted a woman in a flowing dress, wearing a crown of flowers. 

 

When she was younger, she had dreamed of owning a dress like that, and would imagine herself as Jakku’s “queen”.

 

Those dreams had faded over time. 

 

She sometimes wondered where such a thing had even come from. Paper could only be afforded by the elite. Not scavengers, like her parents. 

How the card had ended up in their possession was a mystery. 

 

Perhaps her parents had once been people of importance, ending up on Jakku after experiencing some sort of dramatic downfall.

Either way, it wouldn’t change that she was alone. There was no story that could be conjured up that would make up for them leaving her to fend for herself. 

 

Her conversation with Maz had forced her to confront that.

 

She ran her hands over her hair. She had always kept it in her usual three buns. The same way she had worn it when her parents had left, so they would recognize her when they came back. 

 

Those hopes had been dashed long ago. 

 

She reached back and loosened her bottom two buns, letting her hair hang over her shoulders. 

 

It was time for her to move on. 

* * *

 

 

_ Throughout the galaxy, 22 individuals began to experience an awakening. Some of them had visions. In them they saw horrid things, such as the victims of bloodstalkers, or planets that had come under control of cruel militias. _

 

_ They also saw other people. A woman whose blood could make plants grow. A knight in black on a white horse. A silent man that watched over it all. In their waking hours, their visions would stay with them in the back of their minds.  _

_ Like a subtle flicker, barely there, but nonetheless noticeable.  _

 

_ And, in a far edge of the galaxy, a dark being began to chuckle in glee.  _

 

_ The game was about to begin.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter ended up not being as long as I was hoping, but some of my first draft had to be cut out to make the timeline make more sense. My Idea for the bloodstalker ship was a combination of the reaver ships from Firefly, and the posed bodies seen in Hannibal. The reasoning for why they haven't decomposed is that the bodies wouldn't break down in space. 
> 
> (Yes, I actually looked that up.)
> 
> I'm starting to get settled in to the change in writing style, so hopefully I will only improve from here, I also have gotten more used to how the site works now. 
> 
> I'm hoping to get through the actual ceasefire in the next chapter so that I can actually get the plot moving.


	3. Interlude 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been dealing with some health problems lately, so I'm actually pretty happy with how quickly I got this chapter done, considering that I had to put more research into it. There's some easter eggs in there for anyone reading who may know a bit of Latin or Irish! 
> 
> I also may add in a pronunciation guide at some point in the future.

_ Invicta was designed to look welcoming, from soft lighting, to the smell of cooking food wafting from the open door. _

_ It was a well-laid trap, hiding behind a friendly facade.  _

 

_ The lone woman inside perked up, seeing a young human man approaching on the horizon, she hid away the recently-stolen necklace that she had been examining, pulled out her datapad, and acted as if she had been busy reading _

 

_ Time to put on a show _

* * *

  
  


Fear could be one of the most vicious hunters. As much as one can try to flee, it always seems to find you in the end.

 

Arthair knew that now.

 

After the razing, he and his family had taken what they could from the burning stores nearby, and for a while, everything was fine. They had been able to retain some sense of normalcy, hidden away in their isolated home.

 

But the peace could only last for so long. 

Eventually their supplies began to run low, their mother had become sick, and their uncle had been killed fighting off a militia, who had finally began to make their way to the more isolated planets. 

 

And now he was here, trying to find someone who could look after his sisters while he travelled to the nearest city to try and get the supplies they needed. And leaving a vulnerable group unguarded in the wild mountains of Ceobhrán had already been dangerous before the razing.

 

A soft light in the distance caught his attention.

 

Approaching as quickly as he could, he was elated to see that the light was coming from a small, cozy looking inn. A heavenly scent came from inside, and below the glowing lantern, a sign 

 

“Shelter and meals provided, in exchange for telling your story” 

 

It seemed like such an odd request, but refusing aid would be foolish.

 

He stepped inside, where an Abhreian woman was sprawled out on a large cushion in a corner, reading from a datapad 

 

Her ears swivelled towards him as his boots hit the floor. She looked over, smiling at him warmly. 

 

“Excuse me, are you the owner?”

 

“I sure am! Are you here for shelter?”

 

“Yes”

 

“Excellent! Feel free to grab another cushion, or sit in one of the chairs.”

 

She stood.

 

“So, tell me traveler, what’s your story?”

 

* * *

 

“Arthair, could you help me out? Curstag isn’t awake yet, and we’re going to be late getting Leitis to the spaceport if she doesn’t start getting ready?”

 

Arthair sighed, setting his datapad aside. He rarely ever had time to himself now. It had been several months since the man that had called himself their father had left. Since then, Arthair had stepped up to help Ma care for his younger sisters. 

 

He was more than willing to make sacrifices for them, he just never thought that he would end up having to take on a parental role this early in his life. 

 

Then again, he had never thought that his father would run away with his mistress either. 

No matter what you do, bad things will still happen. He had learned that the best thing to do was to try to make something positive from it. 

 

Even though helping to take care of twelve sisters was difficult, it had made him stronger as a person. 

 

Waking Curstag was its own sort of challenge. The medicines that she took to keep her illness managed made her fatigued almost constantly, and she tended to sleep fairly deeply. He had found that the best way to wake her without scaring her was to first remove her covers, let some light into the room, and then begin nudging her gently. 

 

One time he had tried to simply nudge her awake. But had startled her, and gotten slapped as a result. 

 

He had not made that mistake since. 

After a few minutes he was able to get her out of bed.

 

“Why do I have to go to the spaceport? Leitis is only going to be gone for a week, and I can say goodbye here, you all know that I’m having a flare up right now!”

 

“I’m sorry, it’s Ma’s decision, not mine. At least it won’t be a physically demanding trip.”

 

“True” she still seemed irritated

 

“I’ll go make you some caf, maybe that will help you wake up some!”

 

“Thanks… how bad does it look today?”

 

The red rash on her face and neck had faded considerably, but he knew that Curstag always thought that it looked bad, and hearing otherwise from another person would help her a lot.

 

“Not bad at all, it just looks like a sunburn now!”

 

“Thank you” her voice shook slightly

 

Later on, on their transport to the spaceport, Ma tried breaking the silence between them. 

 

“So, Leitis, are you nervous for your results?”

 

“Not at all, It’s just some doctors telling me if I’m a lunatic or not.” she quipped, curling up as much as she could in the seat.

 

“Sweetheart, I don’t think you’re a lunatic, I’m just concerned about what’s causing these nightmares.”

 

Leitis’ nightmare’s had started not long after our father left. They had now reached the point of being more vivid than the ones she had suffered from as a child. 

 

Then, she started having episodes where she would wake up from nightmares while just trying to take short naps in the middle of the day. 

 

Ma had become so worried that she has saved credits to take her to an off planet hospital for an appointment with a sleep specialist. 

 

Leitis was not keen on the idea, and kept insisting that the nightmares were being caused by stress. But Ma was not taking no for an answer.

* * *

  
  


“ What were her dreams about?”

 

Arthair paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. 

 

“That is where things get strange. It’s almost as if she was dreaming about the razing, months before it happened.”

 

“How so?”

 

“She told me that her dreams were of lights in the sky, of planets burning, and of people being turned to ash.”

 

“ Still, she may not have dreamed of the razing specifically.” 

 

“It’s not just that. She would also draw out some of the things she saw. I saw a bloodstalker ship in her drawings long before I ever saw one in real life.”

 

The woman seemed speechless.

 

“That’s incredible! In a very twisted sort of way. I feel sorry for the poor girl. How is she doing now?”

 

“She’s doing as fine as any of us. The nightmares stopped for her after the razing, and we’ve fared better than most. Funny how I hated Ceobhán when I was a child, I had my heart set on leaving to go to one of the core planets.”

 

“Now the isolation is what saved you.”

 

“I think that most of us here are the lucky ones, except maybe those in the cities, that’s where I’m planning on going, I just need to find someone to care for my sisters. We live in a hill-home, so none of us were killed during the razing itself. We were able to avoid trouble for a while.”

 

“A while?”

 

“We were attacked by a militia the day before I set out. My uncle was killed protecting us. That’s why I need someone to care for my sisters.”

 

Ears perked up in shock

“Militia’s? Out here?”

 

Arthair gave a solemn nod. 

 

“They’re  spreading even into the wild mountains now. Everyone wants to rule the world I suppose. And now they see an opportunity to take.”

 

“Still I suppose that I may need to step up my security a bit.”

 

“ Even if the militia don’t come here, it wouldn’t hurt. You never know who or what else could show up.”

 

“You’re a wise man. Now, I don’t believe that I got your name.”

 

“Arthair”

 

“It has been wonderful to meet you Arthair, I’m Eremita.”

 

They shook hands. 

 

“I suppose you have more of your story to tell, but, it’s getting late. Would you like a room for the night, and we can continue this tomorrow?”

 

“That sounds good to me”

 

Arthair was glad to have a good place to sleep, he had not been able to rest much during his journey. Finding a safe place to set up camp in the woods was not an easy task.

* * *

 

Eremita showed him to one of the rooms, and then went back to the lobby. Next to where her cushion was, there was an ornate wooden panel on the wall, she pulled it back, revealing another room. 

 

Once inside, she took a pillow from the area where she often sat to think to herself, and threw it against the wall.

 

“Damn it!”

 

She had a good reason for wanting to hear people’s stories, she had heard rumors of people who had predicted the razing. Through nightmares like the ones that Arthairs sister had. 

 

Her project of collecting these records was still ongoing, and she did not need militia’s interfering. 

 

However, she had finally found a person with one such story. And Arthair was looking for someone to look after her. This could not be more perfect. 

 

Sure, her bosses would want her to turn them over immediately, but waiting a little bit to tell them anything wouldn’t hurt. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This subplot is going to tie into the main arc later in the story. I was planning on it being the fourth chapter, but after seeing The Last Jedi, I changed course slightly. Primarily because of Holdo. I'm currently reading Princess of Alderaan, and I want to give myself time to finish that, so I can better understand her, and her relationship with Leia. 
> 
> I'm going back to school next week, and I'm going to be pretty busy. But I'm going to make sure that I do make some time for writing!


End file.
